Return to Black Manor
by collidingsnowglobes
Summary: Andromeda Tonks returns to her abandoned childhood home after Sirius's death and finds more than memories there. Rated T for safety.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I don't own any of this, nor am I making any money from it. Just having some fun :)_

_Feedback is totally welcome. This is the first time I've actually posted a fic. At least 1 more chapter to come soon!_

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**Return to Black Manor**

**Chapter 1**

Andromeda peered up at Black Manor, the house of her parents. It had been decades since she had seen this place anywhere but in her haunted dreams. Ivy clung to the great dark walls of the once proud mansion, and the shattered windows whispered neglect. The summer sun shone brightly through the mangled trees lining the pathway she walked, but the warmth of its light seemed not to reach the house itself, which stood solemnly overlooking the overgrown yard as if displeased with the lack of maintenance since the quiet deaths of Cygnus and Druella Black. The great statue of Phineas Nigellus Black, Andromeda's great-great-grandfather and the former Headmaster of Hogwarts stood crumbling, glaring at her as she approached the black door.

After a deep breath and a tap of her wand, the door swung open soundlessly. Her footsteps echoed softly as she entered the place she so long ago called home. A thick layer of dust coated the wooden floor, and the smell of must and decay momentarily overpowered her. The door clicked shut behind her, plunging her into the darkness.

"Lumos," Andromeda breathed. A soft light bathed the area around her, revealing the handsome furniture of the room. She shook herself mentally. This was no time for sentimentality, particularly for a family and home she could no longer call her own. Steeling herself against the memories that lurked in the shadows, she made for the stairway. The bottom stair creaked as she started her ascent.

She passed the second floor without a glance and kept climbing. The landing on the third floor seemed dustier than the first two, and it was here that she started down the hall. The door to the first room was shut tightly, as it had been for most of her life. This was Bellatrix's room, and it was notoriously off-limits to all but those invited in, unless of course you wanted a quick curse to the face.

She slowly approached the second room, lifting the curse on the door that she knew would be there. The dust was thickest in this, Andromeda's childhood bedroom. It seemed that many of her possessions still remained since her hasty departure, though what hadn't been shattered to pieces (most likely by Bellatrix's rage, Andromeda mused) lay strewn on the floor or else thrown in piles.

She began shifting what she could in one corner of the room, searching. It was a strange feeling, picking through her old belongings, remembering them vaguely as if they had belonged to her in another lifetime. Movement caught her eye.

It was an old picture, taken when Andromeda must have been about nine years old. Three girls stood laughing and teasing each other. The tallest of the three, with black hair and eyes was Bellatrix. She was wearing her Hogwarts uniform and standing beside a trunk, looking haughty; proud to be embarking on her first trip to the school. With an arm around her was a younger Andromeda, with brown hair and eyes, but a similar face to her older sister. The present-day Andromeda felt a knot clench in her stomach, which she carefully ignored. Giggling next them was the smallest girl with sleek blond hair and light eyes. Narcissa. Andromeda made to put the photo in her robes, but thought better of it and propped it on the bookcase and went back to her search.

Then she found it. A small wooden box lay buried in the rubble. She peered inside, and being reassured that she found what she was looking for, placed it deep in her pocket.

Something creaked at the bottom of the stairs.

Andromeda slowly stood up, her hand automatically closing on her wand and backing in to the shadowed far corner of the room. She strained her ears to listen for another sound, but could only hear the thumping of her heart in her chest. There. The soft sound of boots on the dusty floor. She raised her wand in preparation.


	2. Chapter 2

_Hi everyone! Thank you so much for the reviews :) They were really encouraging. I have another chapter coming up after this one to finish it up. This one feels a bit rushed, so I'll probably return to it later and clean it up once I've had some time to ponder it. As always, feedback is welcome._

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**Chapter 2**

Steady, fearless footsteps started down the third floor hallway. Andromeda steeled herself against the apprehension growing in her heart. There was no turning back now. She wasn't surprised to see who finally drew level with the room and faced her, heavily-lidded eyes flashing with the thrill of the moment and wand raised slightly, though not directly at Andromeda.

A beat. "Well if it isn't Andromeda _Tonks_," the woman sneered. Andromeda's name sounded like something left to rot in a dark alley in that voice. "I see you've aged."

"It appears I'm not the only one." The retort fell from her lips naturally, as if they had not had over two decades of silence between them. "Azkaban did not treat you well, it seems."

"Azkaban doesn't treat anyone well."

"You know," Andromeda smirked, "I think that _might_ be the point." The corners of Bellatrix's mouth seemed to twitch, but it happened so quickly that Andromeda might have imagined it.

The raven-haired predator leaned against the wall, relaxing her wand arm slightly and glancing around the room. "I seem to recall warning you that if you ever returned to this place, that you would not leave with your life. Have you come to surrender that which you don't deserve?" Her dark, roving eyes returned to her sister, eyebrows raised in question.

Andromeda's grip on her wand tightened, though she did not move to attack. "What are you doing here, Bellatrix?" she asked suddenly.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Bellatrix spat. "Miss being a respectable witch? Have you finally realized the error of your ways and come back to reclaim your dignity?"

Andromeda ignored her and said simply, "I asked you first."

She shook her head slightly and snorted. "You tripped the alarm. Didn't even think to check for spells before barging in here, did you? You're still a fool."

Silence. Andromeda didn't feel much like playing Bellatrix's games. She got what she came for, and she intended to leave before this escalated further. She knew Bellatrix would only remain this calm for the briefest of times before her hatred would overcome her. Better to make this quick and at least try to be civil.

"You're turn. What are you doing here?" Bellatrix moved slightly, fixing Andromeda with a piercing gaze that seemed to chill her to the bone. It was strange to see her in person now, after all those years. Strange to actually _feel_ the insanity radiating off of her. To be succumbed to that cruel glint in her eyes, so augmented after years of service to the Dark Lord.

Andromeda sighed and glanced at Bellatrix's wand. Noticing, she placed her hands in her pockets, then slowly removed them, empty. In response, Andromeda carefully placed her own wand back in her pocket and returned the gesture. She then reached into her inner pocket and removed the small wooden box she has retrieved from the rubble moments before.

"What's in it?"

She slowly lifted the lid. Within was a miniature carving of a howling dog. Bellatrix arched one eyebrow.

"Sirius gave it to me the Christmas before I left. I went in such a hurry that I forgot it," she whispered, replacing the lid and slipping the box back into her pocket, right beside her wand. She left her hand there.

Bellatrix snorted. "You returned for petty sentimentality? For that blood traitor _filth_?"

"He looked up to me," she shrugged, once again ignoring Bellatrix's boorishness. "It felt right to return for it."

Her sister rolled her eyes again and replied, "He put up a good fight, I must say." Her black eyes sparkled malevolently. With a twisted grin and a tone to match she continued, "Better than dear, sweet _Nymphadora_. She's quick, I'll give her that. But never have I fought someone who fell down the stairs mid-duel. Pathetic really." She cackled maniacally.

Andromeda struggled to suppress the great rush of anger that swelled up at the taunt. Her voice shook with emotion as she said, "You don't talk about my Nymphadora."

Bellatrix's laugh echoed in the room.

"You still have nothing better to do than insult my family?" Andromeda screeched.

"You're the one who chose that pitiful little family over your own flesh and blood!" Bellatrix's wand was out now. "This is what comes out of breeding with filthy mudbloods. A poor, pathetic husband who cowers at home and a daughter who can't stand up straight long enough to finish a duel! I've never seen such foul corruption of our bloodline! You make me _sick_. I will kill that abomination of a child you call Nymphadora. I swear it!"

Andromeda's wand was pointed straight at her sister's heart. Her blood boiled with hatred in a way she hadn't felt since the night she ran away, Bellatrix's spiteful screams and curses chasing her into the dark and open street. Words spilled from her mouth before she thought to control them. Hatred spewing from her uncontrollably bottled up for decades and stirred up once more by the murder of her beloved cousin. "You were my family until you bought into that sick idea of blood purity when you fail to see that it doesn't matter! I would gladly have called you my sister until the end of my days, but you became a maniac! You've killed our family. Our cousin! And now you threaten to kill my daughter. You will not touch Nymphadora. You'll never touch any of my family again. _Expulso!_"


End file.
